Here is a different modification....

[Darrel]

I am not sure that I would do that to my fretboard, but it is different

Here is a link to the instructions if you wish to give it a try...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Scal...p-Frets-14-21/


Does anyone have any experience with this?

Darrel

[Michael Watts]

This is most commonly employed by shred guitarists to make huge "Malmsteen" type vibrato techniques easier. I have seen it done on a couple of acoustics and even a nylon string. It takes some getting used to, and I personally don't like the feel much.

[Thin Crust]

Mmmmm.............no

[davenumber2]

Seems to me like it would be harder to play rather than easier. Then again, I'm not a shredder.

[Brackett Instruments]

Originally Posted by davenumber2

Seems to me like it would be harder to play rather than easier. Then again, I'm not a shredder.

(in theory) It's helps speed by making the notes easier to fret.

[badguy1971]

hmmm....worn frets, no problem, just scallop your fret board.
Looks cool with long hair and cowboy boots too...

[yardism]

Didn't Stanley Jordan own a guitar with no fretboard, only frets? Looked like something out of a Police Synchronicity video... Anyone remember that?

[Bryan T]

I've been curious about scalloped necks for a while, but haven't owned a guitar like that. When I refretted my electric I did go with the biggest frets I could find. Somewhat similar in feel to scalloping, I imagine.

I might get a scalloped replacement neck for an electric someday to try out. One downside is that the Plek machine won't work on a scalloped neck.

Bryan

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Michael Watts

This is most commonly employed by shred guitarists to make huge "Malmsteen" type vibrato techniques easier.

We interupt this thread for a public service announcement...

As a long-time Deep Purple fan, I feel compelled to point out that Yngwie Malmsteen got the idea of scalloping his frets from Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore-who Malmsteen endeavored to mimic with an obsessive zeal rarely seen outside the confines of mental hospitals. The great irony is that Blackmore, while perhaps not the technician Malmsteen is, is a far more tasteful and versitile player than Malmsteen and the vast majority of 80s generation shredsters.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled thread...

[Steve Christens]

I played one of these once. You almost have to learn to play all over again, as it is difficult to press lightly enough to not make every cord and note go sharp. Pretty much the exact opposite of my Les Paul "fretless wonder".

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by Steve Christens

it is difficult to press lightly enough to not make every cord and note go sharp.

Seems like a good skill to have, no?

[Dr. Spivey]

Originally Posted by OddManOut

We interupt this thread for a public service announcement...

As a long-time Deep Purple fan, I feel compelled to point out that Yngwie Malmsteen got the idea of scalloping his frets from Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore-who Malmsteen endeavored to mimic with an obsessive zeal rarely seen outside the confines of mental hospitals. The great irony is that Blackmore, while perhaps not the technician Malmsteen is, is a far more tasteful and versitile player than Malmsteen and the vast majority of 80s generation shredsters.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled thread...

How true.

[Marc Durso]

John McLaughlin: Ahead of his time...

http://www.musicaloud.com/2009/02/the-shakti-guitar/

The idea for the Shakti Guitar struck McLaughlin early 1971 after he started learning Veena, a South-Indian stringed musical instrument, under Dr. S. Ramanathan, then a teacher of South Indian music at the University of Connecticut. When McLaughlin formed the fusion band Shakti with Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar and Vikku Vinayakram, he started looking for a Veena-like articulation in his guitar which led him to Abraham Wechter, a consulting luthier for Gibson guitars. In collaboration with the Gibson R&D team and helped by the ideas from the Sarod(a North-Indian stringed musical instrument) maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, McLaughlin took his first Shakti guitar to stage for the Shakti concerts in the 1975-1976 timeframe.

Coming to what a Shakti guitar is all about, it mainly differs from the normal guitar in terms of its 13 strings, made up of seven drone strings in addition to the standard six. The seven sympathetic drone strings are placed beneath and diagonal to the standard ones. Another innovation was the scalloped fingerboard, ie, the area between the frets were shaped concavely similar to that of a Veena. This ensured that the fingertips didn’t touch the fretboard while playing, and also enabled pushing downand pulling of strings across frets. What resulted from all this was a radically new sound that had never before been heard from a guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O127hEVA9G0

[OddManOut]

Cool...but is it me or does that guitar sound like a Gibson reject? Part of it is the mix is poor.

[Chazmo]

A scalloped fretboard is intriguing, but please folks don't butcher up any classic, vintage guitars with your round file just yet... it hurts me to see it. And, seriously, it'll completely devalue your axe.

Grab some First Act junker from Wal-Mart or maybe an Esteban and have at it. You'll be doing it a favor.